Good luck and keep us posted. Hard as it might be, stay positive. The Lord will see you through.

Rocket

Good luck and keep doing those kegels!

Good luck! Walk around a lot as soon as you can after surgery. It helps a great deal!

Good luck!! Hope it goes smoothly.

woohoo! good luck - you'll do great

Good luck...
Sharon

It's a breeze compared to the colon removal surgery, you'll do great.

I agree it is a breeze, you'll do great

I'm looking forward to hearing how things went today! Thinking of you...

Thank you everyone for all your kind wishes!! Surgery went very smoothly: went under around noon, and woke up at 2:30 (almost six hours ago). I'm settled in my room and feeling good. Pain is minimal and easily controlled with the dilaudid pump (which makes me pretty sleepy). Guts are obviously still asleep, so the "hard" part is yet to come, but for now I'm a happy camper!

i loved the dilaudid pump too much wishing you well. where are you?

@Tom-
University of California San Francisco Medical Center. It's a good teaching hospital and makes me think of Grey's Anatomy when the attending doctors walk around with an entourage of residents and interns. My surgeon is Dr. Varma (chief of colorectal surgery) who is ranked as one of the top in the nation. All of my nurses (both after my last surgery and this one so far) have been outstanding. Overall very pleased with everything here.

Wonderful news! I have a lot of confidence you are going to do very well once the kinks get worked out.

Just had my first little "toot" at 6:30 this morning, which would be sixteen hours after I woke up from surgery. Woo-hoo! (It's the little things, LOL.) And I feel another one coming on!

Felt ready to walk last night after surgery, but nurses were all buttoning down for the night, and since it's such a hassle with all my attachments (IV, catheter, leg compressors), nurse and mom - who was on her way back to the hotel for the night - both figured I might as well wait for morning, which I was fine with.

So I asked about going for my walk a few minutes ago (at 7:00 AM), but it was right in the middle of the nurse shift change, and they want to escort me the first time I stand up to keep an eye on my blood pressure and make sure I don't pass out. Sooo, now I have to wait until around 8:00-ish since they are giving reports and making rounds first. But to be fair, the hospital is at capacity right now with not a single room open, so they are pretty busy. I'm sure I'll be walking plenty before the day is out!

I've been trying to take it easy on the dilaudid since I know it slows down motility a bit... just keeping it up enough to stay ahead of the pain so I can stay comfortable and as mobile as possible (changing positions, reaching for stuff, etc), which right now is about 20-30 mins in between pumps. If I go longer than that then the pain at the incision area returns, and it takes too long to "catch up" to it, ending up using more in the long run. I'll keep an eye and slow that down as I am able to.

Goals for today:
1) Walk, walk, walk!
2) Catheter out!
3) Leg compressors off!
4) Progress to at least "full liquids" (soup, yogurt, etc) by end of day.

I know I don't have direct control over 2-4, but it will all come with the walking and waking up the guts.

Thanks again for all the support and good vibes! I swear the prayers and healing thoughts from friends, family, and all of you are what's keeping everything running so smoothly for me through all this since surgery one. Big hugs!!!

You're right on track for an amazing recovery! Thank you for the updates. I'm celebrating every baby step with you from OH.

Walk! Walk! Walk!

I had my surgeries done by Dr. Varma at UCSF too. I really started doing the laps around the ward on my second day and by the afternoon everything had woken up and things were moving.

They kept me for a third day and started upping my diet and I
was packed up and headed home by noon on day four.

I sure hope everything goes as smoothly for you.

Good Luck!

Goal Progress:
1) Gone on two walks so far, and plan on a few more before the day is out.
2) Catheter is out!! (Yay!)
3) Leg compressors are off for now. If I keep walking maybe they won't go back on.
4) Still only approved for sips of water.

Haven't passed any more gas yet, but I can feel it moving around down there... it wants to come out! I could probably get some more out if I "pushed" hard enough, but don't want to strain the incision site, so just being patient.

Still feel great, hardly any pain, and in good spirits. My mom came in this morning and decorated my little bedside table with Christmas lights and a little stuffed snowman and Santa. Christmas music playing in the background from her ipod... It's pretty sweet, and the nurses are all getting a kick out of it.

Bootstrap,

I too just had my take down, 8 days ago, and can share in your enthusiasm. I was so excited to get the catheter out and be up on my own two feet. This surgery was a breeze for me compared to part one. I am still trying to regulate things and know it will take some time getting used to my new plumbing and such. It's a real trip to poop the first time after using the bag for interim between ops. Good luck in your recovery and a speedy return to "normal" life!

That's pretty good progress!! I hope you can get out of the hospital soon. Good luck to you and Jess.

Thanks, guys! I have finally started passing a decent amount of gas, starting a little over an hour ago, and my tummy is moving and talking up a storm. I'm hoping to get something other than ice chips for dinner! Still feeling great and just waiting to see how my j-pouch functions once it's introduced to food. :-)

Congratulations! You have a great attitude....you sound just perfect with all you ate enduring. Keep it up! You will have your ups and downs....I M always. Good shoulder to cry on. Xo
Sally

Ugh, yesterday went so wonderfully, that I guess I got a little overly confident. After all the action late last night (passed all my gas around between 10:00 and midnight, and even had four tiny bowel movements between 2:30 AM and 4:00 AM) this morning things came to a stand-still again, and I have not passed anything (gas or stool) since 4:00 AM or so.... which means that today I've been feeling really bloated and in quite a bit of pain. Tried all my tricks to get things moving, and nothing worked. Finally just got the pain managed somewhat with meds so that I'm just feeling an uncomfortable bloat vs. unbearable pain. Still walking as much as I can to try and get things moving again, but not taking anything by mouth until the lower part of my bowel wakes up the rest of the way and starts passing stuff through again!

You are doing very well! Everything sounds normal from my experience. I had my takedown done about a year ago at Stanford and I was eating and pooping that night. I felt great until the next day when my intestines decided to go to sleep. I was really scared and they reassured me that it was typical. I know how you feel! Hang in there, they will wake up soon and you'll be eatin and poopin in no time. Like everyone says, takedown is a breeze compared to the first surgery. You will be eating Christmas dinner soon! Best of luck...you are in good hands for sure!

Blessings,
Rich

P.S. I walked day and night. I spent more time walking than in bed and it really helped me! Just don't overdo it.

Well I have walked five times so far today and try to increase by one lap each time I go out. So 35 laps so far today and may still go out one more time before bed...

Just "ate" some broth and jello and took some Gas-X Meltaway strips, and passed stool two more times this evening (still no gas, though, which is the painful part). I'm just being patient, walking as much as I comfortably can, and keeping up on the pain meds just barely enough to keep me mobile until my guts finish waking up.

Makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one who has gone "back" to sleep, though. Thanks for the support. :-)

My bowels went back to sleep also. Make sure they are fully awake before you leave. I ended up going back into the hospital the day after being released. Keep up the good work!

Remember, it's a 2 steps forward and 1 (sometimes 1 and 3/4) step back kind of thing. You have a positive attitude, so keep the big line in sight as you cross over hurdles in the path.

Yeah, I'm just staying positive and patient. Made some progress last night - BM's coming easily now (though still some pent up gas), so hopefully things will be fully functional with low-res diet by the end of the day. Docs hoping to send me home tomorrow. Either way, I'm okay letting my body take it's time to do whatever it has to do! :-)

You're doing wonderful, and definitely falling within "normal" recovery. I hope all is well enough for you to go home tomorrow. I believe we all recovery much better and more quickly at home.

As you start to feel better be patient with incorporating new foods and doing so in small quantities. As your body heals and feels better there is an enormous temptation to "push the envelope" and get aggressive with culinary adventures. For the 1st month you need to take it slow and not push the envelope, otherwise you will take some trips to the ER like I did. What you cannot eat now, you will be able to eat many months from now with no problem and keep that in mind.

Butt burn could be an issue but that is usually temporary- in my case a few months battling it and then it went away as my body adjusted.

Haven't had butt burn yet, but have been taking preventative measures with a water bottle, baby wipes, and protective barrier ointment here in the hospital. And I have a nice bidet waiting for me at home. :-) So I'm not too worried about it. I also heard that if it's particularly bothersome, I can hop in the shower and use a scoop of Noxema cleanser to cool things down and get a good wash, so I have a blue tub of that in my bathroom as well just in case.

Can I ask what specifically sent you to the ER so I have a better idea of what to be sure to avoid? Did you end up with blockages?

quote:

Can I ask what specifically sent you to the ER so I have a better idea of what to be sure to avoid? Did you end up with blockages?

I had two ER visits after takedown and both were caused by my own stupidity.

At the 30 day anniversary after takedown I was feeling good. I was on a "high sodium diet", this due to the Pouch's slow ability to adjust to electrolyte regulatory function previously performed by the excised colon. So I decided to celebrate and have a "sodium party".

I ordered a small anchovy pizza from the best pizzeria in Bridgeport, CT at that time, bought a 6 pack of V8 juice and a bag of Lays BBQ potato chips. I consumed the pizza, the entire bag of chips, and 3 cans of V8 at about 8 pm.

At about 3 am I awoke with severe left sided pain in my lower back going towards my abdomen. The pain became progressively more severe. At the time I lived with my parents and my pacing woke up my father who found me doubled over in pain. I was taken to the ER and diagnosed with a severe sodium overdose. The doctor looked at me as my labs came back and said, "what did you do??????????????" I also had trace blood in my urine on the urine test.

The second ER trip came at about the 6 week mark. Blockage after eating a very large amount of seafood paella. I really gorged. Again, I was feeling great and wanting to live it up. Ended up in ER and just as they were about to insert the dreaded NG tube - which would have been my second insertion, counting the one I had after ileus after step 1 - I started harshly vomiting. The act of vomiting, the spasming, somehow freed the blockage and after about 5 wretches and barfing all over, I was on the commode and the blockage was set free.

That was 20 years ago and thankfully, my last blockage.